Notes, quotes and anecdotes
Things that make me go hmm…
Dec 12, 2025 | 6:00 AM
- Good morning from chilly Brandon, Manitoba, the site of game two of the Kelowna Rockets Eastern Division road trip. Outside of the excellent hockey in arenas visited only once every two seasons, the weather dominates the headlines. It’s the coldest day of the trip, with temperatures expected to drop to -23 and the wind chill pushing it to a fierce -39. The good news? Everyone packed a winter jacket. Some even came prepared with toques, gloves and long underwear.
- In Brandon, the hotel sits right across from the arena that seems to change naming rights every visit. Its current title is Assiniboine Credit Union Place. You can bet it will be a mad dash from the hotel lobby to the players’ entrance, complete with a phase of real-life Frogger as players and coaches cross 18th Street in dress shoes, which only makes the task more difficult.
- Props go to bus driver Shane Curveon and his little elves for turning the bus into a rolling Christmas display before departure. The Rockets left Kelowna with Christmas lights stretching from front to back, tinsel running the length of the cabin, and overhead bins packed tight with players’ overnight bags. It’s become the team’s festive home away from home.
- It has been two years since a movie played on the Rockets bus screens, but that streak ended Thursday during the drive from Regina to Brandon. The Christmas classic ‘Home Alone’ lit up the monitors, filling the bus with a sense of familiarity. The shout of “Kevin!” remains one of the most recognizable lines in any holiday film.
- In Swift Current, the temperatures were tolerable, but the relentless prairie wind stood out. Every time the team stepped out of the hotel for a short walk to a nearby Boston Pizza for the pregame meal, the gusts left their mark. Growing up on the prairies, you remember how a -12 day can turn into a -22 windchill with one strong gust, and the reminder of that reality was immediate.
- It was literally raining five-dollar bills in Swift Current on Wednesday night. With the arena offering five-dollar entry, five-dollar beer and five-dollar burgers, fans were told during a first-period stoppage to look up — just in time for five-dollar bills to fall from the rafters. Had there been advance notice, a fishing net from the hardware store might have collected a few extras.
- It’s always nice to see familiar faces along the way, and Swift Current provided that opportunity with former Rockets Marek Rocak and Jackson Gillespie. Both were moved to the Broncos in separate trades. Rocak, now 20, heading over last season in the Dawson Gerwing deal, and Gillespie joining the Broncos earlier this year in the trade that brought Peyton Kettles to Kelowna. Both players say they’re settling well into their new surroundings. Gillespie appears comfortable with the increased opportunity, while Rocak, unfortunately, is sidelined with a lower-body injury that will keep him out until after the Christmas break. Even so, both expressed appreciation for their time in Kelowna, a reminder of how small and connected the WHL world truly is.
- A few weeks ago, RocketFAN spoke with Carter Rigby, an assistant coach with the Prince George Cougars and a former Rockets player about the Eastern Division road trip. “Many of the memories from junior hockey are from that trip,” Rigby said. “Going 5 and 0 on the road and wearing white jerseys the entire time. They were never washed. For players out that way, to be able to play in front of friends and family, it’s fun.”
- Asked about the jerseys, Rigby added, “We couldn’t get them washed between games one and two. We ended up winning the first two and just stuck with them. The teal on the jersey was tinged with yellow by the end of the trip. The white was almost cream, but it worked for us. It’s a trip I remember very fondly for that reason alone.”
- Another observation on this trip involves rookie defenceman Owen Hayden, who has been given a simple but essential responsibility. As the youngest full-time player on the roster, excluding the two affiliated players travelling with the team, Hayden is the official head-counter on the bus. His task is to ensure all 21 players are accounted for before each departure. If Hayden doesn’t call out “21,” the bus does not leave. No player is left behind on this trip.
- A road trip of this size, involving 21 players and seven staff members, can test patience when everyone is living, eating and travelling together. Forward Connor Pankratz spoke about how the group manages that dynamic. “We have a great group of guys. Sometimes we get away from our game, and we knows how we can play, but when we do come together, we are a hard team to play against,” he said.
- When asked about the tight quarters on the bus, Pankratz laughed and said personal hygiene matters. “Some guys have to brush their teeth more maybe. That’s something we have to work on,” he joked.
- Before leaving the region, the Rockets coaching staff made a meaningful stop at the Four Broncos Memorial just outside Swift Current. The monument honours the four players lost in the 1986 bus crash, a tragedy that left a lasting mark on the community and the Western Hockey League. RocketFAN addressed the players on the significance of the site, sharing memories of being a Grade 12 student in the community of 16,000 at the time of the accident and knowing all four young men. The message delivered to the players centered on remembering those four teenagers and young men whose dreams mirrored the ones held by every player on the Rockets bus: the dream of one day playing in the NHL. Their lives were cut short, but their legacy remains. As the team stepped off the bus and circled the memorial for thirty seconds of silence, wind howling and snow blowing, it served as a reminder of how fragile the journey can be. Trent Kresse, Chris Mantyka, Brent Ruff and Scott Krugar deserve that respect. Hopefully the players took a moment to appreciate the privilege of playing elite hockey across Western Canada, guided safely from destination to destination by bus driver Shane Curveon.
- The Rockets will play the role of Grinch in three games on this trip where the Teddy Bear Toss is being held. Tonight in Brandon, tomorrow in Regina and next Friday in Prince Albert, the team will try to keep the home side off the scoreboard, forcing fans to wait until the conclusion of the game to finally throw those stuffed toys onto the ice.
- At 1,151 words, the barn doors are officially shut. One more observation for you: out here on the prairies, drivers practically thank you for walking in front of their vehicle. They wave, smile, and make sure you, as a pedestrian, get where you’re going. In BC, slowing someone down on their 15-minute commute earns you a look that could cut sheet metal.
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